Published: July 01, 2009 11:54 am      

Chesapeake’s Bradshaw honored for blood donation

Mayor Damron Bradshaw has been a regular American Red Cross blood donor since 1965 and recently donated his 10th gallon of blood at the Glasgow United Methodist Church Annex. Bradshaw was awarded his 10-gallon pin by Nancy Pat Maloney, Glasgow United Methodist coordinator for the ARC, and head nurse Sylvia Greathouse from Parkersburg. Bradshaw has been a faithful donor at the Glasgow blood drive since 2001.

Very well-known, especially in the Upper Kanawha Valley where he has been instrumental in many community organizations and activities, Bradshaw has been mayor of Chesapeake since 1991. He also earlier served on the town council and as town recorder. Bradshaw presently is the executive director of the Upper Kanawha Valley Enterprise Community (UKVEC).

The mayor also steps up at his “day job,” boasting 32 years of perfect attendance as an employee at E.I. Dupont in Belle. An ordained minister, he is presently the pastor of the Racine United Methodist Church.

Bradshaw is a 1960 graduate of East Bank High School and is married to the former Mary Jane Caudill.

Accident victims, cancer patients, surgery patients and others are dependent on people like Damron Bradshaw who make a special effort to give blood approximately every 56 days. Every two seconds someone needs a blood transfusion and this precious commodity with a limited shelf life can only be donated by volunteer blood donors. Greater Alleghenies Regional American Red Cross supplies blood products to hospitals in parts of West Virginia, Virginia, Pennsylvania, Ohio, Kentucky and Maryland.

On Monday, July 27, there will be another blood drive at the Glasgow United Methodist Church Annex on the corner of Fifth Avenue and Third Street in Glasgow. Every donor will receive a T-shirt.

For additional information, please contact Nancy Pat Maloney at 304-595-1040.